 Dr. Clete Kushida
"In humans, the data is fairly mixed as to what the actual function of sleep is. There's various and different hypotheses. But we do know that if a person is sleep deprived, they have problems such as excessive daytime sleepiness, which puts them at risk for motor vehicle as well as work-related accidents. They have difficulties with their cognitive functions. Their ability to think unimpaired is affected, as well as their mood changes. There are a constellation of different types of effects that occur as a result of sleep deprivation."
Executive Editor Robin Jay talks with Dr. Clete Kushida, a sleep doctor from Stanford University, on August 22, 2007, in preparation for an article that appeared in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Case in Point. The article was titled "Awake At Night: The Ill Effects of Poor Sleep and Sleep Disorders."
Clete Kushida, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University Medical Center, an attending physician at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic, and director of the Stanford University Center for Human Sleep Research.
In this interview, Dr. Kushida describes the most common sleep disorders that affect Americans, including sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and others. He also explains the negative effects of a poor night's sleep.
To learn more about sleep in general and sleep disorders in particular, visit the American Academy of Sleep Medicine at www.aasmnet.org. For clinics that provide testing, visit www.sleepcenters.org. And for personal patient information, visit www.sleepeducation.com.
Listen to the interview
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